Springbok Story by Dr D. H. Craven
Springbok Story (Second Edition in Dust Jacket, Inscribed 1955)
Danie Craven's Account of the Springboks from the 1949 All Blacks Series to the 1953 Wallabies Visit
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Springbok Story: 1949-1953
- Author: Dr D. H. Craven
- Publisher: R. Beerman Publishers (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town
- Publication Date: 1955
- ISBN: None Issued (Pre-ISBN Era)
- Edition Details: Second South African Edition, March 1955. Carries a hand-written Afrikaans presentation inscription dated 9-8-55.
- Binding: Publisher's green cloth boards with printed dust jacket, protected in a durable archival-type plastic cover.
- Physical Format: Octavo-sized hardcover, approximately 210 x 140 mm.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
- The Book: Good (G)
- Exterior / Boards: The green cloth boards, seen with the jacket removed, are clean, with a few small dark marks near the top of the board and a slight bump at the head of the spine edge. Corners and edges are not clearly visible.
- Interior: The pages are toned and tanned with age, but the text is clean and the binding looks tight. Brown adhesive or tape staining is present on the jacket flap, with tape marks on the flap and the front pastedown, and a vertical crease in the paper. A stained rectangular mark sits at the foot of the title page. No foxing is visible on the pages seen.
- Provenance: Hand-written inscription in Afrikaans on the half title: "Alan. Lourens Met beste wense op jou mondig wording. Liefde Edwin Tina + Kinders. 9-8-55".
- The Dust Jacket: Present and intact, but showing honest wear: a tape repair to the top of the front panel with a tear or crease near the head, a chip at the head of the spine exposing the green cloth beneath, rubbing and toning, and a stain mark with creasing at the top edge of the back. Protected in a durable archival-type plastic cover.
Synopsis & Historical Value
Springbok Story, 1949-1953 is Danie Craven's account of South African rugby across one of its most eventful periods. Craven, who coached the Springboks throughout these years, writes from inside the team as coach and selector.
The book falls into three parts. The first covers the Springboks' overwhelming series victory over the All Blacks in 1949. The second follows the 1951-52 tour of Britain, Ireland and France, and the third deals with the visit of the Australians in 1953.
Anecdote and tactical insight run through the narrative, giving the reader the view from the touchline and the selection room rather than the grandstand. It remains a first-hand record of the Springboks in the early post-war years, and a natural companion piece for collectors of South African sporting history and Africana.
Author Profile: Dr D. H. "Danie" Craven
Daniël Hartman Craven (1910-1993) was a South African rugby player, national coach, administrator, academic and author. He played rugby union for South Africa between 1931 and 1938 and coached the Springboks from 1949 to 1956, a period in which the team won 74% of its matches.
He served as President of the South African Rugby Board from 1956 to 1993 and as chairman of the International Rugby Board in 1962, 1973 and 1979. A prolific writer on the game, he is credited with more than 25 books, among them Ek speel vir Suid-Afrika (1949), Danie Craven on Rugby (1952) and Springboks Down the Years (1956).
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